CB. Asia-Pacific PR Campaign of the Year

Winner

Campaign Title

Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World

Client

MasterCard

Agency

Weber Shandwick

Of the 780 million people in the world who can’t read, 510 million are women. And women work the equivalent of two-thirds of the world’s working hours, but earn only 10 per cent of the world’s income. What if we could help change this? Building on the programme’s past success, MasterCard and the Singapore Committee for UN Women (UN Women Singapore), along with the support of their PR agency, launched Project Inspire 2013 with the intention that it would reach more people and encourage more entrants, raise the bar on the creative solutions presented and make a bigger impact than ever before. This would cement MasterCard’s position as a leader in women’s empowerment, and more importantly, provide long-term sustainable benefits to women in disadvantaged communities in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

The strategy in 2013 was designed to reach out to, engage, and inspire action from a larger global audience. In addition to sustaining interest from existing stakeholders, the Project Inspire community, and the UN Women and MasterCard global networks. It was also important to acknowledge that much had changed since Project Inspire first launched, including where the audience was and how best to communicate with them. To support this, a robust content approach was introduced in 2013 to strengthen the connection of Project Inspire with its audiences. This was done through a 3-stage process: expansion, integration and enrichment.

Project Inspire sparked the creation of three impactful, sustainable programmes to better the lives of women and girls. US$45,000 was awarded to these projects: 1) Women in Bangladesh, Morocco, Papua New Guinea and Tunisia are being trained as journalists, empowering them to spark change through their writing whilst earning strong living wages. 2) Disabled Ugandan women are being taught the business of beekeeping to both boost their identity in the community and lay the foundation for them to compete in the economic world. 3) At-risk adolescent girls in Delhi slums are now being educated in creative arts, giving them sustainable livelihoods and a path out of poverty.

Certificate of Excellence

Campaign Title

2013 Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper

Client

Hong Kong Tourism Board

Agency

Staged for the fourth consecutive year, ‘Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper’ is an annual shopping contest in Asia. In order to broaden the spectrum of the event, the contest took on a new format and theme ‘Treasure Hunt’ to showcase the city’s diverse tourism offerings, so much more than a shopping paradise.

The strategy was to collaborate with relevant media organisations from mainland China and 8 short-haul markets, such as travel programme, fashion magazine and lifestyle online portal, and integrated social media platforms to generate greatest publicity and interest in the selected markets.

Results of the campaign are confidential.

Certificate of Excellence

Campaign Title

Diversity Shines Here

Client

2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee

Agency

Synergy Hill+Knowlton Strategies

The core challenges: the Asian Games has long been considered the forgotten sibling of the Olympics; meanwhile, the city of Incheon lies in the reputational shadow of its flashy cousin in the South, Seoul. So, when you combine the two, how in the world can the Incheon Asian Games build enough momentum to get Asia excited about one of the region’s most awe-inspiring sports events?

K-pop trio JYJ, also well-known sports fanatics, were the official ambassadors of the Incheon Asian Games and at the forefront of the promotional content for the Incheon Asian Games. With the aim of creating a mega viral hit in true K-pop style, JYJ recorded the Incheon Asiad song ‘Only One’ and filmed the official music video using the city of Incheon as a backdrop which was then distributed across various online channels and media in Asia Pacific region.

This campaign was able to unite a hugely active fan base with an internet-based phenomenon and a series of offline events in six countries across Asia, which ran intp mainstream media. Interest was created in both Incheon as a destination city and in the Incheon Asian Games among the target group.